This is the Queen Victoria dress. I made the bodice only, to go with an existing skirt. I was dubious about the sleeves, which look overlong and a bit too full; even after shortening them, I’m still unhappy with them. The pleated bertha won’t sit flat over the bodice, especially not over the shoulders. The bodice is designed to be laced up the back, but the instructions don’t call for boning the back edges. This creates nasty bunching at the lacing, as I expected. I inserted boning between the lacing eyelets and the back edges to correct this problem. The shoulders seem very restrictive to me. While I can waltz in this bodice, The Congress of Vienna (a dance which requires hand movements over the head) is nearly impossible. From a purely esthetic standpoint, I don’t really like shallowness of the front point in the waist, either. Most of these problems could be fixed by modifying the pattern; however, I think there are better existing patterns for this look that don’t require so much modification. About the only thing nice I can say about this pattern is that the lining ends up looking very finished because all seams are covered.
Rated 3 out of 5
Liz Chapman –
Yuck! It’s a very fussy pattern with droopy, complicated sleeves which were totally concealed by the attached collar. Why bother with all the layers of pleating if it does not show at all? As dress was intended as a stage costume, I was not impressed by the amount of hand sewing expected. The collar does not lie properly, and the fit is peculiar on the actress, requiring extra darts. Since a quick change into the dress was needed, I changed the back fasteners to hook and eye tape.
Leigh Ann Hildebrand –
This is the Queen Victoria dress. I made the bodice only, to go with an existing skirt. I was dubious about the sleeves, which look overlong and a bit too full; even after shortening them, I’m still unhappy with them. The pleated bertha won’t sit flat over the bodice, especially not over the shoulders. The bodice is designed to be laced up the back, but the instructions don’t call for boning the back edges. This creates nasty bunching at the lacing, as I expected. I inserted boning between the lacing eyelets and the back edges to correct this problem. The shoulders seem very restrictive to me. While I can waltz in this bodice, The Congress of Vienna (a dance which requires hand movements over the head) is nearly impossible. From a purely esthetic standpoint, I don’t really like shallowness of the front point in the waist, either. Most of these problems could be fixed by modifying the pattern; however, I think there are better existing patterns for this look that don’t require so much modification. About the only thing nice I can say about this pattern is that the lining ends up looking very finished because all seams are covered.
Liz Chapman –
Yuck! It’s a very fussy pattern with droopy, complicated sleeves which were totally concealed by the attached collar. Why bother with all the layers of pleating if it does not show at all? As dress was intended as a stage costume, I was not impressed by the amount of hand sewing expected. The collar does not lie properly, and the fit is peculiar on the actress, requiring extra darts. Since a quick change into the dress was needed, I changed the back fasteners to hook and eye tape.